In recent years, advances in technology, as well as ever evolving tastes in style, have led to substantial changes in the design of automobiles. One of the changes involves the power usage and complexity of the various electrical systems within automobiles, particularly alternative fuel vehicles, such as hybrid, electric, and fuel cell vehicles.
Such vehicles, particularly fuel cell vehicles, often use two separate voltage sources (e.g., a battery and a fuel cell) to power the electric motors that drive the wheels. Power converters, such as direct current-to-direct current (DC/DC) converters, are typically used to manage and transfer the power from the two voltage sources. Modern DC/DC converters often include transistors electrically interconnected by an inductor. By controlling the states of the various transistors, a desired average current can be impressed through the inductor and thus control the power flow between the two voltage sources.
The states of the transistors are regulated by electrical signals that dictate the “duty cycle” (i.e., on-time) for each transistor, which often change dynamically during the operation of the converter. The dynamic change of duty cycles required for proper operation of a particular converter is dependent on the particular characteristics of the vehicle in which the converter will be used (e.g., voltage source type, desired performance, etc.). Typically, the dynamic performance of the control of the duty cycles is dictated by the electrical components (e.g., inductors, capacitors, resistors, etc.), or the values of the electrical components, within the circuitry within the converter. Thus, in order to change the control dynamic performance of the duty cycles, the electrical components must be replaced. Replacement of the electrical components can increase the costs of manufacturing the automobile, especially if the automobile has been redesigned, and are difficult to make after the automobile has been sold, as the converter circuitry is not readily accessible.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a system and method for operating a power converter which allows the control dynamic performance of the duty cycles of the transistors within the converter to be changed without making hardware changes. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.